NFL notebook: Eagles land Matt Barkley

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Matt Barkley, once considered a potential top-five pick, was taken in the fourth round.

Associated Press
April 28, 2013

While Matt Barkley’s stock dropped around the league, Chip Kelly saw a guy he coveted.

Kelly made sure he got his man Saturday when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to select the Southern California quarterback with the first pick of the fourth round. Barkley joins Michael Vick, Nick Foles, and Dennis Dixon, giving the Eagles an obvious quarterback controversy.

‘‘I'm going to come in and compete,’’ Barkley said. ‘‘Has to be your mind-set. Compete like it’s your job.’’

Barkley was chosen with the 98th overall pick. Philadelphia gave Jacksonville a fourth-round pick (101) and a seventh-rounder (210) to move ahead of Kansas City and take Barkley.

‘‘We’re going to take the best value on the board,’’ Kelly said, adding the Eagles rated Barkley in the top 50. ‘‘There’s a prime example. The best value on the board by far was Matt. He’s an extremely mature young man, intelligent, articulate. He has that ‘it’ factor.’’

Former Eagles coach Andy Reid, now the Chiefs’ coach, likely would've taken Barkley at 99, and also tried to move up to get him at 98.

‘‘I wasn’t going to be on the board long today, and the Chiefs were definitely looking to trade up, but the Eagles beat them to it,’’ Barkley said.

Barkley could've been a top-five pick if he left school after his junior year, but he returned as a Heisman Trophy front-runner with a chance to lead USC to a national championship.

Neither happened, and Barkley finished his career watching his teammates play in a bowl game from the sideline with his arm in a sling after sustaining a shoulder injury.

Barkley rewrote the conference record book during a USC-record 47 starts over four seasons, becoming the Pac-12’s leader in touchdown passes, yards passing, completions, and total offense. He impressed Kelly in four games against Oregon.

Three other quarterbacks were taken in the fourth round. Ryan Nassib of Syracuse was selected by the Giants with the 110th overall pick, Landry Jones of Oklahoma was taken 115th by Pittsburgh, and Tyler Wilson of Arkansas went 112th to Oakland.

Lattimore to 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers selected running back Marcus Lattimore out of South Carolina with the second of their two fourth-round selections in the final day of the NFL draft. Lattimore comes to the 49ers after a junior season during which he suffered a career-threatening right knee injury in South Carolina’s ninth game, one year after Lattimore suffered torn ligaments in his left knee midway through his sophomore season. Despite the injuries, Lattimore still set South Carolina school records with 38 career rushing touchdowns and 41 total touchdowns in just 29 games. The NCAA’s Freshman of the Year in 2010, Lattimore rushed for 2,677 yards in three abbreviated seasons . . . To the surprise of no one, the Southeastern Conference has provided the NFL with the most draft picks of any conference — 32 of 97 through the third round. That’s one-third of the newest class of the NFL players. The SEC breakdown is 12 in the first round, eight in the second, and 12 in the third. No. 2 is the Atlantic Coast Conference with 12, including six first-rounders.

Jets, Ivory agree

A person familiar with the situation says the New York Jets and newly acquired running back Chris Ivory have agreed in principle to a three-year, $10 million deal. The deal comes after the Jets traded a fourth-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints on Friday night. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the contract. NFL Network first reported the contract. Ivory, undrafted out of Tiffin in 2010, rushed for 217 yards and two TDs on 40 carries last year. He was stuck on the Saints’ depth chart behind Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, and Darren Sproles . . . A total of 14 Williams were picked — 10 who play defense, four who play offense. None has the same first name. Defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, taken at No. 28 by Denver, was the first Williams taken. Running back Kerwynn Williams was the last, going 230th to Indianapolis . . . Indianapolis selected 6-foot-4-inch, 264-pound tight end Justice Cunningham from South Carolina with the 254th and final pick in the NFL draft. Cunningham will be honored with a trip to Disneyland and the Irrelevant Week Parade in Newport Beach, Calif., this summer.

Seattle nabs Simon

The Seattle Seahawks selected LSU cornerback Tharold Simon with the 138th overall pick in the fifth round, just two days after he was arrested in his hometown of Eunice, La. Simon was arrested Thursday night on charges of public intimidation, resisting an officer and a noise violation. He was released on bond. His agent, Peter Schaffer, said he is certain Simon acted appropriately and will be exonerated . . . LSU had eight defensive players selected during the three-day, seven-round draft, only one of which was a senior. Two Tigers were taken in the first round, four combined in Rounds 2 and 3, and two more in the fifth round . . . Denard Robinson of Michigan, is headed to Jacksonville, which had one of the league’s worst offenses the last two years. Robinson will be switched to running back or receiver by the Jaguars; he set the NCAA record for career yards rushing (4,495) by a quarterback . . . Running back Rex Burkhead (sixth round) and strong safety Daimion Stafford (seventh) are the only two Nebraska players taken in the draft, making this the first time since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994 that so few Cornhuskers were chosen.

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